KATE Green, MP for Stretford and Urmston, has backed a bill that will give renters a new legal right to ensure their home is ‘fit for human habitation’.

The bill, introduced by Labour MP Karen Buck on January 19 has been long campaigned for by Labour and could help renters in 162,000 dangerously unfit properties in the North West.

Kate said: “Having a home that’s safe and secure is a basic human right. It’s utterly disgraceful that so many people across our region have homes which aren’t safe to live in.

“For too long renters in Trafford have had a raw deal which is why I’m very glad the bill is making progress and was pleased to be present to support it as one of its sponsors.”

Nationally, there are over one million rented properties containing the most serious ‘category 1’ hazards, including homes that have unsafe electrics, vermin infestations, or aren’t fire safe.

The Labour bill will give tenants new legal powers to enforce their right to a decent home by taking their landlord to court if the property they live in is not fit.

This is a particularly important for council tenants who will now be able to hold local authorities to account if they fail to provide decent homes.

The bill will now go forward to the next stage in the process of becoming law.

Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, John Healey MP said: “Our homes are at the centre of our lives but at the moment renters too often don’t have the basic rights that we take for granted in other areas.

“In practice you have fewer rights renting a family home than you do buying a fridge-freezer, and decisions made by Conservative Ministers have made it easier for bad landlords to let unfit homes. As a result, too many people are forced to put up with downright dangerous housing.

“After the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower, it’s even more important that we ensure all homes are fit for human habitation.”